American Savings Bank, FSB New York was formed through a number of bank mergers in the 1980's centered around what was The Kings County Savings Institution that was originally chartered on April 10, 1860. The bank started out in a small building in Brooklyn called Washington Hall until it purchased the lot on the corner of Bedford Avenue and Broadway and erected a permanent home. The Kings County Savings Bank building has long been considered a landmark of Williamsburg. By 1900, during the construction of the Williamsburg Bridge, the neighborhood had changed, and the Bank building was already seen as an icon of "old Williamsburg." It remains one of the most important historical landmarks in Williamsburg, and was recognized by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1966, the seventh building to be so designated. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1980.